Refrigeration or cooling systems generally use a single refrigerant in a vapor compressor cycle. In such a case, the phase change of the refrigerant in the evaporator and in the condenser will be at constant temperature for all practical purposes.
In the usual case, a mismatch leading to poor performance from the efficiency standpoint occurs. For in general, the heat source stream (the stream being cooled) in the evaporator and the heat sink stream (the stream cooling the refrigerant) in the condenser exchange heat sensibly, that is, without regard to the latent heat of fusion and/or vaporization of the material forming such heat streams.
As a consequence, as the heat source stream passes through the evaporator, its temperature continuously decreases while as the heat sink stream passes through the condenser, its temperature continually increases, both toward the temperature value of the system refrigerant at that particular location in the system.
As is well known, the rate of heat transfer in a given system is proportional to the temperature differential. Consequently, as heat source stream or heat sink stream temperatures approach refrigerant temperature, the rate of heat transfer slows.
In order to avoid insufficient rates of heat transfer, such systems have conventionally utilized relatively large blowers or fans to rapidly move the heat sink stream through the condenser to maintain desirably high temperature differentials.
Of course, work must be expended to generate the relatively high flow rates of such fluid stream and such has a negative effect on system efficiency.
The present invention is directed to overcoming one or more of the above problems.